The life and times of thirty-something single parent Claire and her young, adrenaline-fuelled son Chunk. There's even some handy Allotment, Gardening and DIY tips, Recipes, Arts and Crafts, Home and Parenting Tips.
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Monday, 5 June 2017

I'm Back... It's Been A Busy Few Months!

It's been a manic few months of both great and really difficult times, and it's sadly meant that I've neglected this blog.

It's been good to have a break from it in some ways, as I now feel refreshed and able to bore you with my rants, ideas and parenting highs and lows.

Here's a round-up of just some of what's been keeping me busy lately...

Holidays

The week before May half term I took Chunk to Spain and it was lovely. It went far too quickly, but it was just the relaxation I needed. We went to the same place as last year because the hotel was fabulous and there was lots to do if we got bored of lounging by the pool.

Chunk got to practice some of his Spanish that he's learning in Reception and I got to block out a lot of my current stress which sadly returned the second we landed back in the UK.

Very tempted to try save up for a September break though before year one starts!

A post shared by Claire (@singleparentpessimist) on May 29, 2017 at 11:21pm PDT

Health

Exercise is down, weight is up... but I thought about this a lot during my holiday and I'm determined to get back into a healthier way of life.

I've bought some new sports wear for summer from DW Sports, including some Paoli Printed Tights for the yoga I keep meaning to start to de-stress my mind. I've also got some new Adidas shorts and flip flops which have so far been used to lounge around on holiday, which shows my current enthusiasm for fitness.

My new sportswear that's become my loungewear... tut tut

I've now been off anxiety medication for a few months, which was a big achievement as I tried a year ago to wean off and this particular drug is a nasty one to come off. Thankfully I managed it this time and will never ever go back on those.

I'm struggling to bat off an episode of depression at the moment and the anxiety is becoming difficult at times. I'm looking into more natural ways to manage these, including exercise. The gym bored me, so I decided to try something which would challenge me physically, help give me better mental wellbeing and teach me something...

Our New Allotment

I got an allotment! I have never done any gardening before, in fact I've always hated my hands getting muddy so my family laughed when I told them.

I wanted a new challenge and I've heard many times that gardening can dramatically improve mental health and wellbeing so it seemed ideal.

A post shared by Claire (@singleparentpessimist) on Mar 1, 2017 at 5:47am PST

It's something I can do with Chunk, and it will be a useful life skill to teach both him and myself. Plus we might get some tasty fruit and veg from it that has no nasty chemicals on it and is full of flavour!

I'm going to write about the first four months of allotment life soon, as I've learnt so much and I'm really enjoying it!Parenting

I cannot believe my boy is now in his final term of his first year at school. This time has flown and in some ways I'm broody but at the same time loving the independence and skills he's learning.

He's learning to read and write and I've noticed his emotional intelligence is growing hugely. This means we can have more in-depth discussions and he's starting to calm down as he's left the manic toddler and preschool stages.

But we still have the occasional tantrum and boundary-pushing which has become more intelligent and can catch me off guard sometimes. We also have his current forgetfulness to do important things like drink fluid when at school which is driving me up the wall. But hey ho, nothing is plain sailing and it's all a constant learning curve for both of us.

I do wish I was better at parenting, and at working through stress quicker and calmer, but nobody is perfect. I'm aware of my flaws and I'm working on them and that's all I can do.

I hope you all had a great spring, and let's enjoy summer!

No payments have been received for this post. All opinions are honest and my own.

3 comments
:

I have neglected my blog as well for various other reasons but I am trying to get back into writing again so hopefully I will be writing more posts in the coming months. I also went off of anti-depressants for PTSD and it was hard but really worth. I was determined to find more natural ways to combat my depression and anxiety and I found Tai Chi. I recently started yoga and found a great meditation app that I use before bed every night to help me calm my mind so I can sleep. Sleep is an issue for me because my brain never wants to shut off lol. It's great to see you back!